On March 21, 1976, Vladimir "Spider" Sabich, a former Olympic skier and Longet's boyfriend of four years, was shot in the abdomen in Aspen with a Luger handgun. He died en route to the hospital at age 31. Longet testified the gun fired accidentally while Sabich was showing her how to use it; she later said she had been looking for another place to live before his death.
The probe suffered procedural problems: investigators collected diary entries and blood samples without a warrant, so those items were ruled inadmissible. Longet was ultimately convicted of misdemeanor negligent homicide and received two years probation and 30 days in jail.